Bissell and NUVO Amateur Teams Merge for 2012

By: TrueSport.comPosted: Nov 2, 2011

THE BISSELL AND NUVO AMATEURS ARE MERGING INTO ONE MIDWESTERN POWERHOUSE SQUAD AND OFFICIAL PRO FEEDER TEAM The BISSELL Masters/Elite cycling team and the NUVO Cultural Trail cycling team are proud to announce that they will be merging into one single USA Cycling NRC Amateur team for 2012 and beyond. This new super-regional amateur team will be the official feeder to BISSELL Pro Cycling. For 2012, the team will include three current National Champions: Jon Jacob (Elite TT), Alexey Vermeulen (Junior Road Race) and Weston Luzadder (Collegiate TTT and Team Omnium). The team will also have at least 7 other former national champions. BISSELL Pro Cycling has agreed to take at least two riders from the amateur team to race as professionals during the final months of the 2012 season. The team will focus on developing young riders through competition in major national and Midwestern events, with a special focus on the elite national and U23 championships. The team`s primary sponsors include BISSELL, Advantage Benefits Group and NUVO Newsweekly. Already pillars of American pro cycling, BISSELL and Advantage Benefits have now committed to an amateur development team that will bridge the gap between grass-roots racing and the pro ranks. Advantage Benefits CEO and key sponsor of the BISSELL Pro Cycling team, Robert Hughes, commented: `One of the reasons we started the Pro team years ago was to give young and upcoming Michigan riders a chance to take the next step, this new affiliation allows even more opportunity for those riders and we are excited by the new young talent on the team. Hopefully we identify and develop another Brent Bookwalter.` Hughes and Advantage Benefits sponsored Bookwalter early in his career and now races at the sport`s highest professional level. Likewise, NUVO Director Declan Doyle had the following to say about the merger: `We`ve already proven we can develop young talent from Indiana and beyond. We`re the ones who plucked Eric Young from the Little 500 in Bloomington and helped him join the BISSELL pro team. Now he`s pro national champ. By officially working with BISSELL`s pro team, we can do for other young riders what we`ve done for Eric. I am very excited.` The team has also committed to donating all of its prize money from two team events to World Bicycle Relief. World Bicycle Relief changes lives by purchasing bicycles for individuals in developing nations who cannot afford them, thus giving them life-changing mobility and freedom. Director, Derek Witte said: `With our winnings from two races, we will be able to buy 10 bicycles for those who need them in Zambia, Zimbabwe or Kenya. That may be an even more important legacy than sending one of our riders to the pro ranks or the Olympics.` BISSELL-ABG-NUVO will use a group of experienced racers in their 30s and 40s to provide leadership and mentoring to the team`s young superstars. This exciting merger results from the collaboration between NUVO Director, Declan Doyle and BISSELL Masters racer, Derek Witte, both of whom will assist with team management during 2012. Aaron Hubbell, himself a former National champion and elite track rider, will round out the management team. New riders for 2012 include: • Mac Brennan, 21, East Jordan MI • Josh Johnson, 19, Ft. Wayne IN • Weston Luzadder, 21, Indianapolis, IN • Alex Vanias, 21, Leroy MI • Alexey Vermeulen, 18, Ann Arbor, MI • Alex Wieseler, 22, Indianapolis, IN • Jason Fowler, 29, Indianapolis, IN • Scott Catanzaro, 23, Indianapolis, IN • Kevin Depasse, 21, Bloomington, IN Returning riders include: • Neal Forbes, 19, Indianapolis, IN • Derek Graham, 31, Grand Rapids MI • Jon Jacob, 32, Evansville IN • Joe Kukolla, 23, Indianapolis IN • Daniel Lam, 37, Kalamazoo, Michigan • Andrew Otte, 28, West Lafayette IN • Brad Schaeffer, 30, Indianapolis, IN • Nate Williams, 30, Grand Rapids MI